District of Columbia – District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE)
The District of Columbia is part of the Washington, D.C.–Maryland–Virginia ozone nonattainment area, which also includes counties in Maryland and Northern Virginia. The District of Columbia is currently designated Moderate nonattainment under the 2015 8-hour ozone NAAQS.
Under federal nonattainment New Source Review (NSR) requirements, new or modified major stationary sources of ozone precursors—nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC)—must obtain Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs) to offset any proposed emissions increases. For a Moderate ozone nonattainment classification (2015 standard), the required offset ratio is 1.15 to 1. For example, if a project proposes to emit 100 tons per year (tpy) of NOx, it must obtain 115 tpy of NOx ERCs.
| Pollutant | New Major Source Emission Rates | Major Modification to existing Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen oxides (NOx) | ≥100 tons/year | ≥50 tons/year |
| Volatile Organic compounds (VOC) | ≥100 tons/year | ≥50 tons/year |
Facilities that were emitting NOx or VOC may be eligible to generate Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs) with a permanent reduction of those emissions generating from a shutdown or installation of control technology or process change.
If your company has a new project that exceeds thresholds or had a facility with permanent reduction of emissions at any level, please reach out to see how Emissions Experts can assist.